packing for a family trip...

28 Oct 2013

We're heading to Mexico tomorrow! As part of a partnership with St. Regis hotels, we're off to Punta Mita to experience Family Traditions at St. Regis, which is all about making a vacation with kids easier and more fun thanks to the hotel's family-friendly activities and accommodations. We're hoping to continue the tradition of at least one far-away vacation per year. France was super far away, so I love that Punta Mita is only a three-hour flight for us (it almost seems like a piece of cake compared to flying to Paris!). And since we recently traveled overseas with Ruby and now we're heading out of the country again to Mexico, I thought I'd share some of my packing tips for staying prepared, while still keeping things easy, on your family adventures...

01. Bring only one suitcase, and pack all your clothes in it. While it might seem impossible to fit clothing and toiletries for three or more people into one suitcase, you can do it. It's well worth bringing less stuff so you have less to lug around while traveling in airports, train stations, and taxi cabs. For longer trips or trips to cold weather climates (because of all those bulky clothes), we bring our largest suitcase. For shorter trips or trips with warm weather (which means we can take light and thin clothes), we bring a medium suitcase or even just a small carry-on.

02. For trips longer than five days, bring only half the days' worth of clothes with you (especially if you'll have access to a washing machine). We all do that thing where we bring way more than we need when we pack for a trip, but we never end up wearing half of it. However, when you're traveling with kids and have more to carry, this is one area I've really learned to pare down. We were in France for 12 days and brought only three or four outfits and two pairs of shoes each. We did our best to mix and match and simply wore the same clothes again after we had chance to wash them mid-way through our trip.

03. Pack comfy shoes. This seems obvious, but I know I always bring my cute, uncomfortable shoes only to never wear them. So I make sure to bring one pair that I know I can walk a lot in without getting blisters and bring another pair that may be less practical but way cuter for those light walking times.

04. Only pack toiletries/baby items that you can't find elsewhere and buy everything else there. If you're traveling within your own country, there's a good chance they have whatever diapers, baby foods, or brand names you're used to. But when traveling abroad, almost everything is different. For instance, we brought all the diapers we'd needed for our 12 days in France because we knew that the Pampers Pull-Ups that Ruby is using to potty train might not be available at a local Parisian grocery store. But we didn't bring two weeks worth of shampoo and soap because we were okay with getting whatever we could find locally. In contrast, when we visit my parents in Philly, there is no need to bring food, snacks, diapers, or wipes, since we can just go to the local drug store or supermarket and get whatever we need. Another example: There were seriously no high chairs in Paris, so we brought a portable high chair so that we could go out to meals with Ruby comfortably. Do your research to see what other countries have or don't have so that you know you'll need.

05. Keep toys and books to a minimum. Sure, you should bring your little one's favorite lovey, toy, or book, but you don't have to bring a mini-version of their playroom with you. Toys and books are heavy, take up a lot of room in a suitcase, and kids will have plenty to play with during their new adventure. I stressed so much about Ruby being bored in our rental apartment in Paris without her usual arsenal of playtime delights, but she barely noticed it because we were out experiencing new things every day.

In the end, it's all about bringing as little as possible while still feeling prepared. Now, our standards include one suitcase (for all our clothes and toiletries), a travel crib, an umbrella stroller, my baby bag, and one carry-on (for our laptop and cameras).

I'll be sharing photos from our adventures in Mexico when I get back, but you can also follow along on Instagram this week while I'm there.

P.S. The coolest part is that you can also enter to win a family trip to a St. Regis hotel of your choice...see here for more info!

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packing for a family trip...

We're heading to Mexico tomorrow! As part of a partnership with St. Regis hotels, we're off to Punta Mita to experience Family Traditions at St. Regis, which is all about making a vacation with kids easier and more fun thanks to the hotel's family-friendly activities and accommodations. We're hoping to continue the tradition of at least one far-away vacation per year. France was super far away, so I love that Punta Mita is only a three-hour flight for us (it almost seems like a piece of cake compared to flying to Paris!). And since we recently traveled overseas with Ruby and now we're heading out of the country again to Mexico, I thought I'd share some of my packing tips for staying prepared, while still keeping things easy, on your family adventures...

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